The Jazz.com Blog

It’s hard to make great jazz even under the most favorable circumstances. But what do you do if you're a singer who has taken a overseas gig with a hotel lounge band in Malaysia, accepting that your mission in life is now to make this un-cool ensemble into something happenin’?

That’s the challenge Andrea Mann faces every evening as she steps on stage, and she recounts her triumphs and foibles in one of the best blogs on the web, the ever fascinating Lost In Transposition. Mann has now agreed to share her first person story with jazz.com. Read on! T.G.

Can a British jazz vocalist turn a Malaysian hotel lounge act into a credible jazz trio in two months? Clue: probably not. Read on…

“Ledeezengennelmen, plizwelcome… mizandramaaaaan!”

Cue faint ripple of applause.

And so I walk on stage for another performance at the G Spot (yes, that’s its real name) – the jazz club in Penang, Malaysia where I’ve been booked to sing six nights a week, for two months. Like some sort of Celine Dion-esque Vegas residency, only without the dancers. Or the hydraulic platforms. Or the hydraulic dancers on platforms.

It wasn’t until after I arrived at the end of January, and had my first rehearsal with the band – three local, 50-something Muslim men – that I realised quite what my assignment was out here.

I wasn’t brought out here just to sing. Oh, no. It appears that I was also brought out here to bring jazz to The Malaysian Masses – or at least, the ones living in Penang – and that includes its musicians.

I’m coming to the final two weeks of my residency now, and along the way there have been tears, inner tantrums (not outer ones – I’m British, remember) and many, many duff notes. There have also been accolades, delightful moments, and the successful climbing of a steep learning curve. By both me, and three 50-something Muslim men.

You can follow my journey here – but to save you the trouble of working through the daily posts categorised The Actual Music Stuff, I’ll list the top five the lessons I’ve learned:

1. Michael Bublé is very, very popular in Malaysia

This may seem a relatively unimportant lesson to be number one, but in fact, not a day has gone past that I haven’t heard this young man’s name mentioned and/or had one of his songs requested of me and/or heard him singing over the speakers of a department store. People here know ‘Sway’ as ‘a Michael Bublé song’ (not even ‘a Dean Martin song’ or heaven forbid ‘a Ruiz/Gimbel song’). He may be a lovely fella, but through no fault of his own – well, except perhaps his records - Mr. Bublé has become my jazz nemesis.

2. Malaysians don’t really ‘get jazz’

A phrase which has been said to me a number of times. Jazz in Malaysia – like many places in the West, in fact – is loved by a passionate, underground few. Or to put it another way: Malaysians like their pop. There’s live music a-plenty on the small island of Penang – but it takes the form of a pop covers band playing in a bar, or a cocktail pianist playing Every Song Known To Man in a hotel lobby. By going on stage every night and performing jazz, in a jazz club, I feel not unlike the hero of Footloose. Only with slightly fewer moves.

3. Malaysians have a tradition of making song requests

…and of having them fulfilled, as per the recording they know. Over the course of each night, I’ve been handed between one and twenty song request cards by the waiters in the bar, passing them on to me from members of the audience. This has a) helped me to quickly learn which standards are well-known and loved over here; and b) helped me to quickly educate the audience about what jazz is/isn’t. Mainly by saying over the microphone: “I’m very sorry, but I can’t do ‘Memory’/’My Heart Will Go On/Vincent’, because I’m not a pop singer”. My favourite song request so far has been “Diana Ross”. Just that: “Diana Ross”. I said: “Erm… could you be more specific? Or do you just want a giant Diana Ross medley?” (And then sang ‘Killing Me Softly’ with an invisible gun to my head.)

4. They think that ‘sitting in’ is ‘karaoke’

The bar manager took me to one side on one of my first nights, after I’d allowed a local, elderly jazz singer to do one number, and a local tenor sax player to join us for the final set. It turns out that in Malaysia there isn’t really the concept of ‘sitting in’ (probably because there isn’t really the concept of ‘jazz’). What there is, however, is the concept of karaoke – which is hugely popular over here and almost as popular as Michael Bublé, in fact. So the manager had confused what I’d done with allowing any old hotel guest to take to the stage. Apparently it’s very hard to wrestle the microphone away from a Malaysian once they’ve got it, and some clubs even have a ‘No Guest Singers’ sign next to the bandstand to prevent such an event from occurring.

5. It’s quite difficult to turn a piano player into a jazz piano player when he’s never heard of Sarah Vaughan

Quickly, at least. All of the above points about Malaysian music tastes and knowledge go for the trio I’m working with, too. They know ‘Sway’ as ‘a Michael Bublé song’, and ‘Route 66’ as ‘a Nat King Cole song’, and have learned their arrangements accordingly. It goes without saying that the bassist plays the electric, rather than double, bass; and that the pianist is heavily influenced by those two greats: Richard Clayderman, and the Mantovani Strings.

And yet, and yet… Yet despite all of the above, through blood, sweat and rehearsals, I have created something resembling a jazz quartet - and my three musicians have been surprisingly gracious in accepting the directions of someone who’s a) foreign, b) female and c) younger than them. And d) slightly bossy (I’m British, remember).

They may play pop songs and use all manner of naff keyboard sounds during their instrumental set. But as soon as I’m up there on stage with them, they now take solos (gasp!), trade fours (double gasp!), do slightly more interesting arrangements (voice and bass start, anyone?), play and improvise on jazz standards and songs which two months ago they’d never heard of. And what’s more, they now know who wrote these tunes –not just who recorded them in the past five years.

And all of the above may be very beginner-like. But beginners’ jazz is better than no jazz; and as long I’ve helped to bring this music – and this approach to performing it - to a new audience of both musicians and non-musicians, then, well, I guess I’ve achieved something.

Even without the Footloose moves.

This blog entry contributed by Andrea Mann. To follow Andrea’s day-to-day experiences as a jazz singer in Malaysia, visit her blog Lost In Transposition.

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1Dex// Mar 18, 2008 at 01:40 AM
LOL, so you're another snotty jazz musician looking down on Buble, eh? You're pissed because people now know Sway as Buble's song, would you rather them not knowing Sway at all? Get real, OK, give credit where credit is due. It's not like before Buble came on to the scene, jazz was prospering or anothing, it's been dying for years. He didn't take anothing from your guys, he just drew his own millions of fans and some of these fans might have gotten more into real jazz from there on. So what's to complain?

2Andrea// Mar 18, 2008 at 03:49 AM
hey Dex..
I was being 'down' on Buble in a fairly tongue-in-cheek way ;-). It's just been so funny, hearing his name mentioned to me or hearing his music being played in shops literally every day since I got here. You can't escape him!
I totally appreciate what singers like Buble have done to bring jazz to a new audience - absolutely, credit where it is due and of course I'm delighted that new people now know these songs - and I hope that I am doing a similar thing in my own little way.
But what I'm also trying to do with the audiences and musicians here is to take that initial knowledge they have - for example, knowing 'Sway' as a Michael Buble recording - and showing them that 'Sway' is a song in its own right (talking about who wrote it, etc); and that Dean Martin recorded it before him.
And then I try to sing it *my* way - as opposed to a karaoke version of the recording they know, which is, believe me, what they're used to hearing out here, and what they expect from a singer when she gets on stage.
I'm not looking down on him, or complaining about him; I'm just joking about the fact that he's so ubiquitous.

3K S Ong// Mar 30, 2008 at 02:31 PM
I was at the Little Penang by chance, actually looking for some snacks when I was attracted by jazz music.
Ronald (just knew, after visiting his blog) and his two talented kids (trying to find out their names without success) gave me the first impression of some kids idlying while pa was playing, until I actually saw them in action!
Really impressed with their ease in handling some 'adult tunes' (always thought jazz is favoured by adults anyway). Then you came along. I just stood in one corner (Chinaman in shorts) listening to all your songs. I was surprised my wife actually heard your joke about Oxford U while she was actually shopping at the stalls. She came to the stall next to stage, as you were singing the last number.
Your looks remind me of Shania Twain, probably prettier with dimples. Good rapport with audience and I am sure many wish to 'take me away with you' (hope I got the title right).
I think you will leave a trail of broken hearts!
All the best.
K S Ong

4Fukharpon// Apr 03, 2008 at 10:08 AM
i deeply feel what deep inside these malaysian people mentality...cause im a malaysian too..such a mainstream bum.This situation make me feel that
im the spicies left as a jazz litseners here(mostly im more into nu jazz)..it will took a long time to educate them..maybe 20 years or more..hoping that one day all asian jazz musician gather here and do the thing we do..Spread the love through jazz music.Somehow i really2 admire jazz scene in japan.

5Michelle W// May 17, 2008 at 01:57 PM
I'm Malaysian in KL who loves jazz but probably only 2% of the friends/ acquaintances i know who do not give me a blank look when I mention that I'm a jazz lover.
Buble may have belted out those evergreen jazz tunes but he'd definitely 'pop'-ularized them. Just the other night, while listening to a live jazz band playing, a friend commented that it sounded 'messy' as she's just not used to how jazz pieces work!
Oh well, the things a jazz-lover in Malaysia has to go through. I'm visiting Penang soon, hopefully I'd have the chance to listen to you Andrea... perhaps I can put in requests such as 'Mas Que Nada' so that you don't have to literally roll your eyes once you see the song title! =)